1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal cap, and particularly to a terminal cap covering a terminal element connected to the end of a wire to prevent a junction between this terminal element and a connection terminal of an electric appliance from being brought into contact with another component to thereby protect the terminal from moisture, dust, etc., and also to prevent play of the terminal element inside the terminal cap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various terminal caps which cover a terminal element connected to the end of a wire to prevent the junction between the terminal element and the connection terminal of the electrical device from contacting another component and to protect it from moisture, dust, etc., have been suggested and utilized commercially.
FIG. 9 illustrates, in an exploded view, one of the prior art terminal caps, reference to which will now be made for the discussion of the prior art. As shown therein, the terminal cap 1 includes a connector-side member 3 and a base-side member 4. The connector-side member 3 is a hollow body opening at the top and bottom thereof as shown and is used to enclose a terminal tag 2a of a terminal element 2. The base-side member 4 is used to firmly hold a terminal stem 2c of the terminal element 2 and includes a stem crimp 2b by which the terminal element 2 is firmly connected with a bared end 9a of a cable 9. This terminal cap 1 also includes first and second covers 5 and 6 for closing the top openings of the connector-side member 3 and base-side member 4, respectively. Reference numeral 7 represents a terminal connector of an electrical device 8 with which the terminal element 2 is electrically connected.
When the terminal element 2 is to be covered by this terminal cap 1, the terminal tag 2a of the terminal element 2 is first placed in the connector-side member 3, the terminal stem 2c and the wire end 9a are subsequently placed in the base-side member 4, and the second cover 6 is closed. Thereafter, the connector-side membe 3 enclosing the terminal element 2 is placed over the terminal connector 7 from above as seen with a conductor bolt 10 of the terminal connector 7 inserted through a through-hole 2d in the terminal tag 2a. The nut 12 is thereafter threaded onto the conductor bolt 10 to tighten the terminal tag 2a to the terminal connector 7, after which the top opening 3a of the connector-side member 3 is covered by the first cover 5.
With this terminal cap 1, however, the terminal element can move inside the connector-side member 3 in a lengthwise direction parallel to the direction in which the cable 9 may be pulled as indicated by arrows A and B, a lateral direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the cable 9 as indicated by arrows C and D, and/or in a vertical direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the cable 9 as indicated by arrows E and F, to such an extent as to result in a possible displacement in position of the terminal element 2 relative to the terminal cap 1. With the terminal cap 1 shown in FIG. 9 in particular, there is no restraint applied to vertical movement of the terminal tag 2a and, therefore, the terminal element 2 is apt to undergo an arbitrary motion considerably in the vertical direction.
When the position of the terminal tag 2a in the terminal cap 1 shifts due to movement of the terminal element 2, the conductor bolt 10 does align with the through-hole 2d and it will become difficult to pass the conductor bolt 10 easily and quickly through the through-hole 2d when the connector-side member 3 is placed over the terminal connector 7. It is therefore necessary for the worker to adjust the position of the terminal element 2 before placing the connector-side member 3 over the terminal connector 2, increasing the complexity of the task and inviting a drop in productivity.